PIAA & Insurance

[BillyMac]

Threads like this always have me question whether, or not, basketball officials are truly independent contractors.

I always hear the term "independent contractor" tossed about willy-nilly here on the Forum, or at my local board meetings.

Perhaps the answer varies from situation to situation and from one locality to another locality.

Perhaps some of us are truly independent contractors, while others are closer to employees.

Or perhaps, it's as LRZ noted earlier, "neither that of employment nor independent contractor, but a hybrid".

Maybe somebody on the Forum with a legal background in labor relations, or a background in tax preparation, can straighten this out?

I've done some research online (mostly regarding taxes and officiating travel mileage deductions) about the difference between independent contractors, and employees, and it's an unbelievably complex issue, requiring one to be an attorney, or a certified public accountant, to get through the paperwork.

I always check off "Individual/Sole Proprietor Or Single-Member LLC" on W-9 forms, but don't really know what that means, or if it has anything to do with independent contractor status or employee status.

Perhaps tax status has absolutely nothing do with independent contractor status or employee status?